As War Wages On
by crazed spyromaniac
Summary: When the Red Dragon Syndicate is rebuilt, the White Tiger Syndicate is furious. No longer are they the sole Syndicate everyone fears, and they now have in their possesion two very important items; a genius hacker and a key that unlocks the galaxy...
1. Default Chapter

**As Wars Rage On**

_Chapter One: Ed_

It had been years since she had last seen her old friends from the Bebop. Idly, she often wondered what had become of the bounty hunters after she had left to be with her father, although she had been told numerous times the fate of Spike, she still did not believe it. After her dog, Ein died soon after she left the Bebop, her personality sobered and she became more serious about life.

Her father abandoned her two years after he had claimed her, and she quickly grew up in both mind and body. Ed scowled slightly at the thought of her father. He had used her for her hacking skills to steal money from the White Tiger Syndicate. She still kicked herself for believing that he actually came back to be with her. After that stunt, he disappeared and Ed was almost grateful, until she realized that Syndicate was now afer her. Having no fighting skills at all, and her computer her addiction, the Syndicate found her rather easily.

She discarded her trademark spandex shorts and cut off top, for some tight, revealing and risque black outfit that hugged her newly acquired curves and shapely figure nicely. The outfit reminded her of Faye, and a mourning smile gently graced her lips. Unfortunately, Faye was not there to save her now, and the outfit was something she was supposed to wear. It was her "uniform" for the Syndicate. They valued her hacking skills as well as her body. More often, though, they preferred the latter.

_ In the glare if a neon sign _

_she laid her body down _

_The damned walked in beside her_

_And laid his money down _

As she lay on the bed, naked beneath it's suffocating blankets, her executioner, as he liked to be called, walked into the room. A black ribbon tied his silver hair behind his head, and his smooth, beautiful, young face made him appear to be an angel.

Ed was always reminded of Spike's story about his beautiful angel that got away. She did not understand why some one so beautiful would want to be wasting his time in the "harem" as she preferred to call it, but the apprehensive sinking feeling in her stomach instantly told her she did not want to know the answer to her curiosity. Questions like that would get one killed, or maimed. In Ed's case, she would welcome her death. She shrank away from the man advancing toward her, even though in the back of her mind she knew that she should be used to this kind of torture by now.

_He said, "Don't try to scream now,_

_But I want this one to hurt and _

_tonight, my pretty one I'm gonna _

_get my money's worth_

Gulping her fear and the giant lump that rose in her throat she murmured seductively, but almost robotically, "I'll do anything you want me to. You're in control; you're the boss."

In her mind she was screaming for help, her shrieks echoing in her head like the shrill wind ripping through an empty grave yard. She knew no one would help her, or listen to her for that matter; they never did.

_She said, "They just don't understand,_

_I don't do this for pleasure,_

_I just do it cuz I swear I didn't want to_

_And I swear I didn't know that things like this_

_could happen to a seventeen year old_

He bit her lip savagely, like she was a piece of savory meat that he could not get enough of. Her now long red hair was a tangled mess beneath her shoulders, and his rough hands rubbed angrily over her delicate body. Her eyes sprung with unshed tears, and she closed them and pretended that she was back to her innocent childhood days, where her friends would save her. She forgot her surroundings for a moment, as the man reached his peak, and bruised her poor body.

She only opened her eyes again, when his slender hands wrapped around her neck. She gasped for a second, and with her wide eyes stared at the man still straddling her. He traced her face with a finger, and unconsciously she shivered in fear. He crushed her body with his own, and she choked against his chest.

"Ahh, shh, child, I am in control am I not? We don't want to have to teach you a lesson, now would we?"

Dizzy and weak from lack of oxygen, she barely shook her head in submissive agreement, just as she was taught when they first dragged her into the Syndicate. She saw him pull out the katana from beneath the bed, just as he always did when it was his turn with her, and it was always his "turn" after she finished any assignment for the Syndicate. Her eyes shined in the gleaming sword, and for the hundredth time in her new life, she prayed death would come for her. Death was a welcomed sign, for a person who no longer wanted to be apart of the Syndicate.

He leapt from her, and gently sliced the blade across her chest. It cut through her delicate skin, and small beads of crimson black blood bubbled to meet the stainless steel blade. The silver haired man grinned broadly, all signs of human moral gone from his angelic face.

Ed realized now what she had been trying to place about the man that had tortured her for so long; he was one of the fallen angels she had always been warned about.

"You know, Ed, this blade belonged to my father. He killed your friend Spike-person, as you once called him, with the tip. My father was the greatest Syndicate leader there was. It's a shame he had to die so soon."

He turned to her bruised and bleeding body, her big eyes staring at him, as if she cared about what he was talking about. His evil smirk once again contorted his vile features, as he went back to the broken girl lying on the bed. He pulled the katana to her again, this time aligning it with the hollow of her throat.

"However, we received word that he was rebuilding the Red Dragon Syndicate, our greatest rival. Does it hurt you to know that he faked his own death, to rebuild the very thing he destroyed? Well, now it does not matter what you think, the problem with this matter is the fact he has been looking for you. It appears he found your father, who sputtered the same story you did, but Spike turned him in for a bounty."

Ed remained stoic, knowing that any emotion that flickered across her face would anger him to the point he would not murder her, and he knew that is what she desired.

"And we of course can not allow him to find you alive; you know too many of our secrets."

Ed's heart swelled at this statement. He was going to finally release her from her personal hell. She lay still, waiting for the fatal wound, the blow that would end her misery, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she found the fallen angel had left her alone in the room with her suffering and scars he inflicted upon her. The salty tears fell down her pale face, and prayed the Red Dragon Syndicate did not try to save her, for there was nothing left of her to save.

_I've bundled up all these fears inside_

_And bottled up all of this pain_

_And no one and nothing can take this away_

_AN: I don't own Cowboy Bebop or the song Father's Son, which is sung by 3 Doors Down. Ed may seem slightly OOC. If you don't like it, then don't read it, because flames only shake an author's confidence, and I need to re-boost my ego some how! J/k. Besides everyone has to grow up eventually, right?_


	2. Wish You Were Here

**As Wars Wage On**

_Chapter 2: Wish You Were Here_

A fist slammed against the metal table loudly. The remaining coffee cups from the meeting that had been held only moments before, tumbled over, spilling their contents onto the floor as well as the table. A man in a black suit raised a quizzical eyebrow at his leader, who's pale face was flushed and his eyes stormy.

"Sir, what are you going to do about..."

"Ian, please excuse us," a black haired man interjected from the door. His black hair hung in front of his eyes and his wrinkled black suit hung from his slim body. "The boss and I have matters to discuss."

"But-"

"Ian, leave!" the man commanded quietly. Gulping, Ian scurried from the room, bowing slightly at Shin on his way out the door. Shin nodded his head at the two guards in the hall way, who quietly moved to block the door from unwanted company.

"How did the meeting go?"

A pair of mismatched cinnamon eyes glared at Shin, before responding with a loud sigh, "The meeting with Elders went as expected; they spoke in riddles and of old laws. The informative meeting did not bode well."

"I assume then, the White Tigers are after the _Emo-Ami_ as well then?"

"Yes, but that is the least of my worries at the moment."

"How can that be the least of your worries? If the White Tigers find the _Emo-Ami_ before us, they will have control over all of the galaxy We will be the first people killed, so what in the world could possibly be more important?"

_ So you think you can tell_

_Heaven from hell_

Grimacing, Spike pulled a manilla file from a stack that sat by his side. He tossed a file to Shin, who caught it before the contents flew into the small pools of spilled coffee. Quietly, he opened the file, and though his face remained stoic, his eyes widened in disgust as the violent images of an older man hanging from an abandoned room, with blood dripping from his empty eye-sockets gazed directly at the camera. He flipped past that picture, only to find himself staring at another picture of a young strawberry-blonde girl, whose face was badly bruised and caved in. Her purple and black left eye, had swollen shut and bulged out. Large gashes trickled down her arms like a winding river.

Groaning, Shin flipped through the pictures, shaking his head at how the gruesome the photographs were. He was not shocked; he had been in the Syndicate long enough to see many of these images in person. He flipped through the file, now just glancing at the horrific photographs. Finally, he set the file down, and stared at Spike, who just raised an eyebrow, before speaking in a tired, drawn voice.

"Do you know how the White Tigers have been getting their information so quickly?"

"Radical Edward has been identified as a member of the White Tigers," Shin said slowly, his eyes drifting back to a photograph of a man lying on his side, his mouth fixed into a silent scream.

"Wrong picture, Shin," Spike whispered as he gently flipped through the photographs until he found one of a smiling, tan faced, long orange haired girl, "That's Radical Ed, and she's seventeen years old."

"She's a beautiful young woman, but I fail to see the problem if she is working for our rivals."

"Even though I despise children, this one was apart of my crew. She left with her father before Vicious and I fought. I had hoped she would stay safe with him, but a few months after everything had settled down, a bounty was placed on her father's head. I found out he _accidentally_ got involved in some of White Tiger's business, and only later did I find out the bounty was placed by the White Tigers. She does not deserve the life in a Syndicate."

Reaching into his pocket, Spike pulled a worn dog-eared picture and handed it to Shin. The same girl, younger smiled brightly in spandex shorts and white shirt. The picture radiated life and innocence, and as Shin glanced at the more recent picture he felt his heart shatter for her. The smile, once so bright and happy, now failed to reach her tormented eyes. In the recent photograph, her entire demeanor screamed for justice for scars invisible to the eye of the casual observer.

_ Blue skies from pain_

_Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail_

_A smile from a veil_

_Do you think you can tell? _

"They'd rather kill her than allow you to save her."

"She's already been murdered," Spike sighed again, "But I refuse to allow them to continue to torture her."

Before Shin had the chance to reply, a loud commotion stirred from outside the locked door. A single eruption of gun fire disrupted the bickering from outside, and the door swung open to reveal the two startled guards. A woman stumbled past the two guards. Her tattered black dress revealed bloodied and ragged skin. Blood trickled down to the already stained carpet. The gun thumped to the carpeted floor, and the woman's maroon-black hair stuck to a wide gash on the side of her face. Her unfocused green eyes locked with Spike's. An air of familiarity struck him, and yet he could not quite place her. Her lips curled into a slight smile, as she mimicked a fake gun, much like he had done as he collapsed down the stair after his fight with Vicious.

She whispered raspily, " I'd told you I'd see you in the end, Cowboy."

_ And did they get you to trade your heros for ghosts_

The woman smile faltered as she pitched forward, her shoulder length maroon hair flying about her face like spilled wine. Clutched in her hand was a small bloodstained envelope, which fluttered to the floor as she fell. Shin jumped to his feet and ran to the girl, but was too late. She collapsed on the floor, her blood pooling around her battered body.

"Someone go bring the doctor up here, now!" Spike commanded, as he knelt down to check her pulse.

Crimson blood flowed over Spike's hands. Quickly he shrugged off his jacket and placed it over one of her many wounds. The blood seeped into the blue fabric of his jacket, and the doctor ran in. His purple eyes were blood-shot and tired, and his wrinkled clothes were hastily thrown on. He glanced at the woman in front of him, and brushed Spike's hands away from her. Lightly, he lifted the jacket from her body, and shook his head.

"We need to get her into one of the sterile rooms. She's got at least three gun shot wounds, from what I can tell, and numerous superficial lacerations. I can not tend to her here."

Gently, one of the guards picked up her limp body. Shin helped Spike up, and Spike wiped warm blood onto his suit pants. Shaking his head slightly, he picked up the stack of files he had yet to go over, and walked out of the door, lost in thought. He knew this woman, he was just not sure how. She seemed so familiar, yet Spike could not place her. He noticed the white envelope lying in one of the puddles if blood, or perhaps coffee, but nodded at Shin.

_ I feel like I'm drowning _

_I'm feeling weak now_

_But I can't show my weakness_

_I sometimes wonder_

_Where do we go from here_

Ian stood pressed against the opposite side of the hall, slack-jawed and wide eyed, his eyes following the trail of blood that now stained the once pristine carpet. In his hands, he carried a small file to hand to Spike. Spike shrugged his shoulders, as he accepted the file from the shaky boy.

"Get used to it kid, you're apart of the Syndicate," Spike muttered as he sauntered down the hall, before telling Ian, "Cancel the rest of my meetings. Tell them I have unfinished business to tend to."

Ian nodded his head slightly, still gazing down the hall. Shin sauntered out moments later, his wrinkled black jacket slung over his shoulder and the file he had been looking at previously, stuck neatly under his arm, along with the small white envelope. He traced Spike's footsteps to the sterile room, and plopped down in the chair next to him.

He opened the file again, and the picture of Ed stared up at him. He opened the envelope, and Spike watched intently. He inhaled sharply as he saw Ed's trademark happy face scribbled out on a torn piece of cloth, crudely drawn with dried maroon-brown blood, with the simple message:

_**There is nothing to save.**_

_**AN: Hey all, thanks for the reviews! I appreciate it a lot! If anyone would like to be my beta, I would also greatly appreciate it. The songs used for this chapter were actually two songs by Pink Floyd called "Keep Talking" and "Wish You Were Here." I don't really know how I feel about this chapter. To me it felt a bit too predictable, but maybe that is because I wrote it. Anyways, tell me what you think!**_

**_StoryGurl17: Woohoo, I've been commanded to finish something! That is awesome! As for your question, OOC means out of character_**.


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